Spring is so close we can almost taste it. But these crisp coastal evenings still call for serious comfort. Fortunately for us, local menus are serving up exactly what we need to get through the final stretch of winter, so let’s take a delicious multicultural foodie tour of Huskisson’s best brothy bowls prepared by our exceptional chefs. Dive in to mum’s laksa, authentic Sichuan fire and Japanese comfort food.
Rich Broths at Stonegrill
The family favourite, Stonegrill on Owen Street now with Chef Alex Phua at the helm (formerly of AK Dragon Malaysian on Hawke Street), is serving some of his signature Malaysian favourites alongside the OG hot-stone steak menu.
The most notable dish, at least for this story, is Chef Alex’s famous, authentic family laksa that draws on his mother’s Kuala Lumpur recipe and is a perfect place to start your August tasting tour of warm, comforting bowls of slow-cooked flavour.
Readers might recall that we featured Alex’s laksa last year. We raved about how his slow-simmered, aromatic curry broth perfectly balances a rich coconut milk base with intricate layers of lemongrass, galangal and secret spices. It is a legendary family recipe that delivers a generous warmth, and seeing it make a comeback at Stonegrill is exactly the news we needed.
Now officially on the menu, he is dishing up a combination laksa $30.80, packed with beef rump, chicken breast, green prawns and fresh vegetables. For the seafood lovers, there is Malaysian seafood laksa $34.80, loaded with fresh fillets of barramundi, green-lipped mussels, prawns and plump scallops.
It takes Alex two to three hours to slowly simmer five litres of his delicious stock. Both dishes feature tender rice stick noodles with that springy silky bite and vibrant green bok choy and choy sum vegetables, topped with crunchy bean sprouts. It is the ultimate comforting dining experience for your next date night or family dinner, Monday to Saturday 5.30-9pm.
Behind the scenes, Alex has three talented chefs in his kitchen keeping the hot stone side of things running flawlessly. This allows Alex the dedicated time to look after his fiercely loyal Malaysian foodies who have followed him over to the new venue.
Cure the Monday Blues at Bud’s Tavern
If Monday nights are a bit of a struggle, Bud’s Tavern on Owen Street has the perfect antidote with their “Ramen Monday” special from 5pm.
Their satisfying bowls of ramen $33 feature handmade noodles served in your choice of two distinct styles, Miso or Tonkotsu, topped with tender pork belly $6 or crispy karaage chicken $6, or the tofu-based alternative for our vegan friends.
When we caught up with Executive Chef Kyle De Moor, he was quick to point out that ramen is the ultimate Japanese comfort food that naturally brings people together. When asked how this fits into the venue’s personality, he notes that Bud’s has always been known for stepping outside the box and doing something nobody expects. As Kyle puts it, they are all about warm hospitality served ice cold.
That warm hospitality takes a massive amount of behind-the-scenes dedication. Kyle revealed that their signature tonkotsu broth takes anywhere from 36 to 48 hours to prepare from start to finish.
It is a serious operation that requires two to three chefs working in total sync to keep the kitchen running smoothly during the dinner rush. One chef manages the massive broth pots, boils the noodles across two dedicated stations, steams the fresh vegetables, and adds the final garnishes. Meanwhile, a second chef handles the sizzling proteins, the gyoza, and the rest of the classic Bud’s menu items as the orders fly in.
The magic begins long before the doors open at 5pm. During the day, the team works closely together to prep everything from scratch. They blend their own custom furikake spice, slow-braise the pork belly before slicing it, and marinate the chicken thighs for the crowd-favourite karaage.
It is a massive team effort to ensure every single bowl comes out quickly and consistently. The hard work pays off in flavour.
The Miso Ramen offers a deep, earthy red miso and shiitake mushroom broth simmered in-house, topped with a soft-boiled egg, fresh spring onion and fragrant furikake.
If you prefer a meat-based option, the Tonkotsu Ramen features a rich and creamy slow-cooked pork bone broth layered with deep umami flavour, bok choy, a soft-boiled egg, spring onion and furikake.
Kyle confessed that the rich, 48-hour tonkotsu is his personal favourite and the top pick among the locals, thanks to its deep flavour and wonderfully rich, fatty mouthfeel. When it comes to the toppings, the village is split right down the middle between that melt-in-your-mouth pork belly and the crispy karaage chicken.
If you are leaning towards the meat-free side of things, the miso broth is fully vegetarian, served with matching vegetarian noodles and a crispy fried tofu option. The kitchen is also happy to tweak the dish into a fully vegan alternative, ensuring nobody misses out on the ultimate winter cure.
Because this is an adults-only dining playground, it is the perfect spot for a cozy, kid-free night out. Early bookings are highly recommended before they sell out.
Fiery Comfort at James Kitchen
Next stop on our comfort-bowl tour of Owen Street is James Kitchen, one of the South Coast’s top authentic Chinese restaurants.
Chef James Liu’s standout winter masterpiece is the fiery Mapo Tofu with pork mince $28.80, a Sichuan dish famous for its tongue-numbing tingling sensation known as mala. While other venues may sub in beef or chicken, James stays true to his traditional home-style version with savoury minced pork. We were lucky enough to be invited into James’ kitchen and watch him cook Mapo Tofu from scratch.
To prepare the dish, a special fermented broad bean chilli paste is wok fried gently in oil to unleash a deep red colour, then the toasted Sichuan peppercorns are added as the air fills your olfactory and taste buds with an intensity blending two different senses together.
Next the pork mince is added and James intensifies the wok hei, the breath of the wok. Chef James told us the vibrant sauce is freshly made to order.
James has an extraordinary array of different spices and sauces for this dish, found above the wok station, behind him and also on a condiment prep trolley next to him, he quickly dips and flicks his Chuan, a flat spatula into his array of many ingredients.
Chicken stock is added and only a very small amount is needed, shares James as he’s working the ingredients in one wok creating a braise, he is carefully managing our tofu, a medium-firm style in salted water on low heat—James says this is the best way to cook so it does not break up and the salt is important for flavour. It was extraordinary to watch the tofu within its 3 minutes plump up into these beautiful delicate cubes to soak up the sauce.
Before the tofu is added to the final dish, a small amount of potato starch is added to the sauce to give that eye-catching glossy finish. With the experience of many years behind the wok, the whole dish took an impressive 10 minutes. It was fascinating to watch the speed and accuracy all within such a short time.
The Mapo Tofu originated back in 1862 during the Qing Dynasty in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province. The bustling kitchen of the Chen Xingsheng Restaurant near Wanfu Bridge was always filled with the sharp, stinging aroma of Sichuan peppercorns.
At the heart of it stood Mrs Chen, a resilient widow known to locals as Chen Mapo due to her distinct smallpox scars. Around 1862, weary oil labourers resting near the Chengdu bridge began bringing her simple blocks of bean curd and scraps of beef, urging her to conjure a meal from the cheap ingredients.
With culinary brilliance born of necessity, she combined the soft tofu with minced meat, fermented beans and a fiery avalanche of chilli and numbing peppercorns. The resulting masterpiece, later christened Mapo Tofu in her honour, became an instant sensation that transformed her modest eatery into the birthplace of a global legend.
To experience it yourself, visit Chef James and his wife Winnie, who manages the front of house with effortless warmth, for dinner from 5.30pm daily or lunch Wednesday to Sunday from 12-2pm. Book a table by calling (02) 4441 7208.
Limited-Time Special Ramen at Huskisson Hotel
Executive Chef Anthony Telford and his team of fine chefs at the Husky Pub bistro are dishing up a spectacular Shoyu Ramen special every day of the week.
This limited-time special is loaded with tender braised chashu pork belly, an onsen egg, leeks, spring onion and nori $29, and it will be running for the next couple of weeks. Take it to the next level by adding crispy karaage chicken on top for an extra $9.
It’s the perfect excuse to skip cooking on a school night with dinner served daily from 5-8.30pm. Or why not opt for lunch from 11.30am-3pm and enjoy the views over the Bay.
